Articulate joint



Feb. 28, 3967 M. V. GROVES ET AL ARTICULATE JOINT Original Filed Feb. 7,1963 United States Patent 3,306,634 ARTICULATE JOINT Martin V. Groves,Greenwood Lake, and Michael Mastromatteo, Hartsdale, N.Y., assignors toPnl-Vac, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Originalapplication Feb. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 256,915, now Patent No. 3,204,282,dated Sept. 7, 1965. Divided and this application Mar. 8, 1965, Ser. No.438,014 2 Claims. (Cl. 285-7) This application is a division of ourcopending application S.N. 256,915 filed February 7, 1963 for SuctionActuated Head and now Patent No. 3,204,282.

This invention relates to articulate joints. Certain features of theinvention are especially useful with vacuum cleaners. The invention isin the nature of an improvement over the subject matter of Martin V.Groves Patent No. 3,054,131 patented September 18, 1962.

An important aspect of the invention contemplates a novel articulate andswivel joint for connecting a pair of air conduits and especiallyadapted for attachment to the wand of a vacuum cleaner.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages ofthis invention will appear from the description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification andillustrate by way of example an embodiment of the invention and certainmodifications thereof. The invention consists of such novel features andcombination of parts as may be shown and described in connection withthe apparatus herein disclosed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an articulate joint constructed inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view in perspective showing further details of thearticulate joint shown in FIG. 1;

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2: an articulate joint 4 issecured at its forward end to an air conduit 41 by means of a flange 100which is provided on the forward end of a sleeve 102. Flange 100 isseated in an annular recess 101 integrally formed in an end of an airconduit 41 and is held locked therein by the ring washer 62, secured tothe conduit 41 by suitable means such as rivets 62a, while permittingrelative sliding movement about the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 102.Sleeve 102 is provided at its rear end with an internal annular flangeand is formed of relatively stiff material, such as plastic, which issufliciently resilient to perm-it a slight expansion of the internalannular flange 103. A yoke sleeve is provided by identical oppositelydisposed members such as 104 which, when brought into closed position,fit within the sleeve 102 with a snug fit. The sleeve sections 104 areprovided with an external annular groove such as 105 which is adaptedfor interfitting engagement with the flange 103 on the sleeve 102 andare likewise provided with outwardly extending flanges such as 106, theforward faces of which are in abutting engagement with the rear end ofthe sleeve 102. The sleeve sections 104 are provided at their rear endwith a pair of of yokes such as 107 provided with trunnion holes such as108 adapted to receive corresponding trunnion lugs such as 109 extendingoutwardly in diametrically opposite relationship on a hollow tubularmember 110. In assembling the device, the half section members 104 arebrought together so that the trunnion lugs are disposed within thecorresponding holes 108 respectively and the sleeve sections 104 areheld together and are forced within the sleeve 102 until the internalflange 103 snaps into the corresponding grooves 105, at which time theparts are locked in assembled position. At this point it is noted thatbefore the device is assembled, the sleeve "ice 102 is passed throughthe opening in the end of the air conduit 41 where it is locked againstaxial movement by means of the ring Washer 62 but is permitted rotatablemovement about its axis. The forward end of the member is so disposedwith respect to the axis passing through the centers of the trunnionlugs 109 as to permit angular movement between the members 109 and theair conduit 41 and its front walls are tapered rearwardly on one sidealong a plane 111 so as to provide an articulate action of about 50between said portion and the rear end of the sections 104 and on theopposite side of the trunnion pivotal axis the member 110 is taperedalong the plane 112 which determines the articulate movement of themember 110 in the opposite direction. It has been found that for use inthe suction line between a vacuum cleaner wand and a vacuum cleaner headfor use in floor or floor covering cleaning, the upper angle provided bythe plane 111 should be about 50 and the lower angle provided by theplane 112 should be about 15. Where the articulate joint 4 is intendedfor use in connection with vacuum cleaner heads for other purposes, suchas the cleaning of draperies or upholstery, an angle of about 50 on eachside should be provided.

The member 110 is of generally tubular structure for the passage of airtherethrough and the rear end is adapted to receive the terminal end ofa suction conduit from vacuum cleaner such as wand 5. In order to insurea tight frictional fit with the said wand, or with an adapter sleeve tobe used in conjunction with said wand, the rear end of the member 110 isprovided with oppositely opposed slots such as 113 which are eachdefined with a reinforcing U-shaped web such as 114, the lugs of whichare provided with oppositely disposed outwardly facing cavities such as115 for receiving slidably disposed therein the spaced apart ends of aloop of heavy spring wire 116 which is anchored at a median point andpassing through a hole provided in a web 117. The springs 116 aresufliciently strong to retain the width of the slots such as 113 to thenormal condition but are sufliciently resilient to yield to receive theend of a tubular member of somewhat larger diameter than the bore of themember 110 and to hold the parts together with a gripping action.

In order to make the articulate joint 4 airtight, a corrugated flexiblesleeve 118, which may conveniently be made of elastomeric material, isprovided having a cylindrical tubular front end 119 snugly fitting overthe tubular shell 102 and with a cylindrical tubular rear end 120 snuglyfitting over a plurality of spaced apart annular flanges 121 formed onthe member 110 and disposed between the spaced apart flanges 122 and123, to thereby form an airtight connection between the tubular end 120and the member 110.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certainpreferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended to coverall such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

We claim:

1, An articulate joint for connecting a pair of air conduits comprising,a first tubular member having an outer rear end for substantiallyairtight interfitting engagement with an end of one of said conduits andhaving adjacent its inner front end a pair of diametrically opposedoutwardly extending trunnions defining an articulate axis, the inner endof said first tubular member on one side of said axis being taperedoutwardly and rearwardly toward the rear end of said tubular memberalong a plane parallel with said trunnion axis and intersecting the axisof said tubular member forwardly of said trunnions, a second tubularmember in axial alignment with said first tubular member and having aninner rear end spaced therefrom and an outer forward end forsubstantially airtight attachment to an end of the other of saidconduits, a pair of semi-circular tubular sleeves provided withrearwardly extending trunnion lugs in pivotal engagement with saidtrunnions, said semi-circular sleeves when assembled providing a forwardexternal diameter having a snug interfitting engagement within thesecond tubular member, means for locking said semi-circular sleeve andsecond tubular member in assembled relationshi and a flexible tubularboot having a rear end surrounding and in sealing engagement with saidrear tubular member and a CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS P. CALLAGHAN, Examiner.

1. AN ARTICLULATE JOINT FOR CONNECTING A PAIR OF AIR CONDUITSCOMPRISING, A FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER REAR END FORSUBSTANTIALLY AIRTIGHT INTERFITTING ENGAGEMENT WITH AN END OF ONE OFSAID CONDUITS AND HAVING ADJACENT ITS INNER FRONT END A PAIR OFDIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED OUTWARDLY EXTENDING TRUNNIONS DEFINING ANARTICULATE AXIS, THE INNER END OF SAID FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER ON ONE SIDEOF SAID AXIS BEING TAPERED OUTWARDLY AND REARWARDLY TOWARD THE REAR ENDOF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER ALONG A PLANE PARALLEL WITH SAID TRUNNION AXISAND INTERSECTING THE AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER FORWARDLY OF SAIDTRUNNIONS, A SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRSTTUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING AN INNER REAR END SPACED THEREFROM AND ANOUTER FORWARD END FOR SUBSTANTIALLY AIRTIGHT ATTACHMENT TO AN END OF THEOTHER OF SAID CONDUITS, A PAIR OF SEMI-CIRCULAR TUBULAR SLEEVES PROVIDEDWITH REARWARDLY EXTENDING TRUNNION LUGS IN PIVOTAL ENGAGEMENT WITH SAIDTRUNNIONS, SAID SEMI-CIRCULAR SLEEVES WHEN ASSEMBLED PROVIDING A FORWARDEXTERNAL DIAMETER HAVING A SNUG INTERFITTING ENGAGEMENT WITHIN THESECOND TUBULAR MEMBER, MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID SEMI-CIRCULAR SLEEVE ANDSECOND TUBULAR MEMBER IN ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP AND A FLEXIBLE TUBULARBOOT HAVING A REAR END SURROUNDING AND IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAIDREAR TUBULAR MEMBER AND A FORWARD END SURROUNDING AND IN SEALINGENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FRONT TUBULAR MEMBER.